TopBand: Beverage/Wire Lesson

[km1h @ juno.com]

On Thu, 25 Sep 1997 18:24:53 -0400 (EDT) Jeffrey Maass
<jmaass@freenet.columbus.oh.us> writes:
>
>I just learned a lesson: don't use 18AWG wire on antennas under 
>tension:

SNIPPED

>CONCLUSIONS: 
>
>   1) Use larger wire, #14 or #12;
>
>   2) "Walk the wire" regularly: check for all sorts of problems.


Two types of wire that are better at stretch  are:

- # 12 submersible well wire; it is hard drawn solid copper.

- #12 jacketed solid copperweld.  I use this stuff for long beverages and
tension it with a come-along so it is almost  guitar string tight. Even
trees coming down wont stretch it. 

Walking the wires regularly is excellent advice since trees laying on the
wire can cause pattern distortion. 

73   Carl   KM1H


>73,
>
>Jeff Maass       (jmaass@freenet.columbus.oh.us)      Amateur Radio 
>K8ND
>      USPSA/IPSC # L-1192   NROI/CRO          NW of Columbus Ohio
>      25000 Members in 2000!
>
>
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